Notes on a Scorecard - April 5, 1994

Enough is enough. . . .

If it’s not one thing with Darryl Strawberry, it’s another. . . .

After he completes his stay at a drug abuse center, the Dodgers should release him even if it might mean a legal battle over whether they would have to eat up the rest of his contract. . . .

Strawberry’s inability to cope with the pressures and temptations of life in his hometown have soured what had been one of the most productive careers in baseball. . . .

He has turned mild-mannered fans into boo birds with his poor work habits, lack of production, run-ins with the law, and even a show of disrespect for fire victims. . . .

Drug abuse is a disease. It might have had something to do with his behavior. . . .

If he shows dedication in putting the pieces of his life back together, Strawberry will have earned another chance on the ball field. But not here. The Dodgers don’t need any more distractions. . . .

Arkansas’ 76-72 victory over Duke Monday night fit the tradition of one major sports event, the NCAA basketball championship, that is rarely disappointing. . . .

Actually, it was a lot better game than many who picked Arkansas to win easily had expected. When the Razorbacks took a six-point lead in the second half after coming from 10 points down, it seemed as though the fatigued Blue Devils might fold. They didn’t. . . .

Unless sophomore forward Corliss Williamson decides to turn pro, the Razorbacks will be prohibitive preseason favorites to repeat. . . .

Back-to-back home runs: Joe Carter’s ended the 1993 season and Ray Lankford’s opened the 1994 season. . . .

Cal Ripken’s 1,897 consecutive game streak is 1,735 games ahead of his closest pursuer, Jeff Conine. The Florida outfielder was the only other major league player to participate in all 162 games last season. . . .

Giving the home-field advantage automatically to the AL East and Central and NL Central and West winners in the first round of the playoffs doesn’t make sense. It should be based on won-loss records, wild-card teams excluded. . . . The Cleveland Indians’ new uniforms are a nice fit for Jacobs Field. . . .

Eddie Murray might not like to chat with writers, but few first basemen are as sociable with baserunners as the Locke High graduate who set a major league record Monday for number of games played at that position. . . .

Laker fans should not fret about the growing possibility that the team will miss the lottery again. . . .

First of all, this is a shallow draft. . . .

And if they finish with the best or second-best record among the lottery teams, the odds against the Lakers improving their draft position in the Ping-Pong ball draw and landing one of the top three picks will be enormous. . . .

Besides, this team has shown so much spark since the coaching change to Magic Johnson that it just might give someone trouble in the playoffs. . . .

Remember how Randy Pfund’s team scared the Phoenix Suns last year? . . .

In contrast to the Lakers, the Clippers have shown about as much emotion lately as the L.A. Kings. . . .

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will pinch-hit for Magic Johnson, who has business elsewhere that night, and present the Muscular Dystrophy Assn. lifetime achievement award to Marcus Allen Saturday at Magic’s ninth annual award dinner and auction at the Beverly Hilton. . . .

The 76ers vs. the Celtics used to be a big thing in Philadelphia, but they drew a crowd announced as only 7,810 Sunday at the Spectrum. . . .

Promoter Bob Arum is planning a multi-title fight card in Southern California in conjunction with the World Cup finals in July. . . .

Arum’s next show at the Olympic Auditorium--Hector Lopez vs. Rod Sequenan, Ray Lovato vs. Bronco McKart--has been set back to April 23. . . .

Riddick Bowe is scheduled to fight Buster Mathis Jr. June 11 at Atlantic City. . . .

Wayne Gretzky, who won’t be in the playoffs, is featured in a Stanley Cup promo on ESPN. . . .

If I owned the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, I would have made Jimmy Johnson coach, general manager, and part-owner the day after he left the Dallas Cowboys. . . .

Only 29 of 64 jockeys who have ridden at Santa Anita this meeting have won a race and only 150 of the 336 trainers have entered a horse. . . .

The team from Santa Anita that plays in the Glendora roller hockey league calls itself the Horsemen. But that isn’t as catchy as the nickname of a recent opponent that was composed of policemen and firemen--Guns and Hoses.